Dreams of Eden
by Breenagh
Summary: Set after Breaking Dawn. Eden, a young hybrid on the run with her mother, winds up in Astoria, Oregon. The Cullens discover a link to Bella that they never thought possible. Eden's desperate for answers about her family. Everything they know comes into question when old secrets begin to come crawling from the shadows.
1. Chapter 1

A/n: Hey guys, this is the re-write of my ongoing story, About Eden. Some of you may already know what's going to happen, but a lot of things will be different! Please enjoy! Love, Breenagh.

Chapter One

Dawn had just broken and the world was still dark when I was shaken out of my sleep. I lifted my head in the dim room and let my eyes adjust to the shape of my mother, standing over the mattress on the floor that I was curled up on.

"Eden. Wake up," Mom said. "We're leaving."

"Now?" I checked the time. It was five in the morning. Mom didn't say a word. She dumped an armload of my things into a worn cardboard box and slid it towards me with her foot.

"All your stuff is packed. CD's, books, clothes. Get dressed, or don't, you can wear your pajamas. Grab the blankets and let's go," Mom said. This was a new record for her - two days. We hadn't even moved in yet and she was ready to leave. As usual, I didn't argue, I didn't say anything at all. I just rose and did as I was told. She scanned the trees when we left the little house we'd appropriated. I whispered goodbye to it. Stupid to get attached, I knew, but the house had this cottage-in-the-woods vibe that I really liked. It had been left behind, forgotten, and I wanted to make it home at least for a little while.

Mom loaded the car with everything we owned - always bare essentials - and we drove off without a second look. The benefit of having a vampire for a mother was that she didn't need to stop and sleep. In the growing light, I looked at the hard edges of her face. I could imagine her once as a human, kind and soft and sunny, but I'd only ever seen that human face once, streaked with tears and blood but with shining blue eyes and smile lines before she turned. Something in her, the humanity and the kindness, died when she changed. She was cold.

You know, cold for a vampire.

We drove for hours, for days. I slept on and off. She didn't. Sometimes she parked the car hidden somewhere and left for a while. She'd come back with her eyes bright vivid red and not say a word to me. The knowledge of what she had done would sit heavy in my stomach for a couple of hours afterwards.

On the last day we drove, I dozed off against the window, careening down the freeway always felt like flying to me. Rain streaked across the windows, landing with soothing dull thuds on the roof. My eyes closed, and I saw more than I ever saw when I was awake.

My dreams were colorful and bright, sometimes just shapes and moving colors, or shadows of people I didn't know. This dream, I was in a place with a low ceiling, surrounded by metal and colorless blobs. The blobs whispered or shouted and moved around me like I didn't matter at all until several - I counted four - shadows moved towards me in blinding colors. Scarlet, blue, purple, yellow. I moved to them, excited.

But then Mom turned a corner and the movement was enough to wake me, smush my face against the window. I rubbed my cheek.

"Where are we?" I asked. She looked pointedly at a sign that said Astoria, Oregon.

"Why?" I continued. Was she going to feed? Leave some local family with an unsolved murder, never knowing who or how or why?

"Your growth has slowed," Mom said, still not looking at me. She didn't look at me a lot. I was a reminder of something she hated. My face, my body - it wasn't hard to figure out that I looked like her but human. Well, half human. I was a reminder of the person she lost. We had the same kind, open faces, wide doe-like eyes, long and wavy dirty blonde hair. Except my eyes were dark brown and my lips were more full. That part of me, I assumed, looked like my father.

"It has," I confirmed, unsure why it was relevant.

"So, we'll stay here a while. You don't have any friends," she pointed out harshly. "It's time you made some. I got a house here. You'll be going to school. He won't look for us here."

I could barely believe my ears. I was three years old, about sixteen in physical appearance, and my growth had slowed enough that it wasn't a daily thing anymore. I tried not to get too excited, though. Maybe she claimed it would be different this time, but it was only so long until she saw some shadow in the night and got paranoid again. We'd been on the run since my birth. All Mom would say about my father, the vampire who changed her as I was being born, was that he was crazy and wanted to hurt us. She would never say more, never give me details.

We drove through the cheerful, colorful town. It was foggy and overcast, and the trees felt like tall green walls, but the store fronts and houses were painted brightly to compensate. Some humans moved around, shopping, drinking coffee, being human. I grinned. Humans were endlessly fascinating.

There was a curving harbor that cut into the land, filled with inky-looking sapphire water. Some ships passed in the distance or floated like ducks attached to the marina. The far side of the harbor was hilly, several big tall hills covered with a blanket of trees and some houses. We wound up driving up one of those hills to a sweet yellow and white house. Mom looked at it wistfully.

"There's furniture inside," Mom said as we walked up the chipped white porch steps. A few mismatched chairs sat on the porch, looking out over the hill and the harbor. We went inside, and to my left I peeked into a small blue-and-grey tiled kitchen. The front hall divided into a hallway and a staircase - the hall led down to a bedroom, the back door and a laundry room. The staircase went up to a bedroom and a bathroom. To the right of the front door, a living room and another bathroom.

"I like it," I said, despite the washed-out colors and sparse furnishings.

"Put your things upstairs," she said.

My room only had a dresser, a bed and a desk with a mirror. I put my worn-out green quilt on the bed, stacked up my CD's and books on the vanity, stuck my only photographs to the mirror and left my few outfits in the dresser. The carpet was a dusky grey-blue and the walls were faded yellow, but I liked it just the same. It was mine.

I ate microwaved noodles for dinner - Mom swore she'd never have me drink blood as long as I lived. A late summer rain drenched the town, warm and thick. Mom left the door open with the screen door shut to let in the smell of soaked pavement and wood. I curled up in the bed, under my trusty green quilt, and let the rain soothe me to sleep.

The girl in my dreams had red-brown hair, dazzling in the sunlight, but I couldn't see her face. It was just tilted far enough that I could only make out a line of pale white jaw.

"We're coming for you," she said in a voice like bells.

"Who?"

"We'll find you," the girl promised. "We'll never let go. Never let go."

A soft thud woke me.

"Didn't mean to wake you," Mom said plainly. "Those are for you."

I shook the dream away and looked at the bag - the source of the thud. It sat on the floor near my dresser, and I saw fabric peeking out.

"Clothes?"

"For school. And a cellphone," Mom told me, not looking at me as usual, hanging up curtains on my window.

"Okay," I said. She warned me to get dressed for school and left. The fabrics were mostly gray and green, the only colors I seemed to like. I put on shorts under a little black skirt, a grey tank top and a green zip-up sweater. The idea of being alone, without Mom, at a school full of humans made me so anxious I nearly threw up. I sank to the floor instead of vomiting and stuck my head between my bare knees. Seven deep breaths later I worked up the courage to go downstairs.

"Hungry?" Mom said, sitting at the round kitchen table, reading the newspaper. I shook my head no and sat, stretching my legs to rest my feet on the other empty chair. It struck me like a scene from the books I read. Now we just needed a dad, all decked out in suit and tie, to kiss us both on the head and hand me lunch money before leaving to go to work in a shiny blue car. I tried to imagine what he'd look like.

"Did you dream?" she asked. The only time she wanted to know what I thought was when I dreamed.

"I saw a girl," I reported dutifully. "Pale, with red-brown hair."

Mom's head snapped up. "And?"

Something made me want to keep her words, the honey-drenched voice, to myself. "She didn't talk."

"What was she doing? What did her face look like? Her eyes?"

"Nothing," I said. "I didn't see her face. I woke up before she did anything."

Mom glared out the window, sighing like I disappointed her, forgetting who's fault it was that I woke up anyways. I got up and grabbed my brand-new backpack, already stocked with notebooks and pens and my first cellphone ever.

"I should leave now," I said.

"I can drive you," Mom told me.

"If we're going to live here, I need to know how to get around on foot," I told her firmly. Really, I was just excited to get away from her and be on my own. Mom stood up.

"I'll drive you," she said. I knew better than to argue.


	2. Chapter 2

A/n: A bit about the author, I'm 17, a high school graduate, currently rewriting the first fifteen chapters of this story that I started last year in, like, December. My name's Breenagh. can't wait to talk to you guys, my favorite part of being a fanfic author is engaging with people who read the story. xo Bree

Chapter Two

Mom dropped me at the doors of Astoria High. I'd read about high schools before, in books, but it felt different walking into one. It felt like walking into a wall. I was hit with hundreds of smells, sounds. People were everywhere, rushing to each other, talking, shouting, their voices all jumbling up into one big stream of things I didn't understand. It was the first day of school, everyone was excited and jittery - at least I wasn't alone in that.

A few people stared at me. More than a few, but I tried to ignore it. I was an outsider to them, new in this small town. The office was a small beacon of safety in the busy crowd. I made my way there, overwhelmed already.

"Name, dear?" the secretary said. Her tag said Mrs. Fischer.

"Eden Coleman," I said. It was a fake last name, one Mom pulled off the back of a novel. I didn't have a last name.

"Coleman, E... Here we are," the woman smiled, flipping through a stack of papers. "New to town, Eden?"

I nodded, wondering if it was that obvious.

"Well, your parents picked a good place to nest," Mrs. Fischer told me. "Astoria is a wonderful place."

"Just my mom," I corrected softly, taking the schedule. "Thank you, though."

The woman nodded, sympathetic, wished me luck and I wondered if the gossip would make its way around town by lunchtime. It seemed like _that_ sort of town, where people talked and talked to pass the time. Hopelessly lost, I wandered back into the loud and busy halls.

"Excuse me," I said to a boy that leaned against the wall. He turned his eyes on me, black eyes that glittered spectacularly under the fluorescent light. His face was not grinning, but something in his eyes was.

"What can I do for _you_?" he asked, but it didn't seem hostile. I was well aware of my face turning red so I just shoved my schedule at him.

"I cannot locate room 205," I told him. He grinned suddenly, dimples forming on both cheeks.

"You cannot - you cannot locate," he said to me. I nodded. The boy covered his face with a hand, trying to hide his laughter. My chest sunk and I felt absolutely ridiculous.

"Hey, now," he saw my reaction. "Don't worry. You're new. No biggie, alright? I'll show you where it is, free of charge 'cause you're gorgeous."

I still had the feeling he might be teasing me, but I let him walk me down the hall. He pointed at the little printed numbers on my paper.

"The two means it's on the second floor. The five means it's the fifth room down," my companion said. "Remember that if you need to find anything - but I'd be happy to show you around all day, darling. I'm Rocky, by the way."

"I'm Eden," I smiled for the first time, admiring his features. He wasn't incredibly tall, about five seven, but he made up for it in charm and attitude. His skin was smooth and dark, his black eyes had little crinkles from his wide little-boy-smile and he seemed to romp instead of walk. Rocky burst with life in every possible way and it was too infectious. I found myself grinning right back.

"Cool name, not a lot of Edens around here," he chattered while we ascended a red staircase. "A lot of Samanthas and Britneys. And Jessicas."

"This is Junior Math?" I asked, peering into room 205. He led me inside and sat at a table in the middle corner of the room. A heartbeat later, he pulled the chair next to him out.

"Sit down, Gorgeous," he said, pointing at the blue plastic chair. I sat. He leaned in close to chat, and I cold smell the spearmint gum on his breath and some nice sort of cologne. Underneath that, he smelled so human - his scent was warm and rich, like the deepest part of the woods, smoky and woody.

"We have double blocks in the morning on Mondays," Rocky informed me with a smile. "Which means you and I get to spend two whole blocks together every Monday morning. How lucky are you?"

"Where can I switch classes?" I said, sort of nervously but smiling in my effort to tease him back.

"Oh, you are cold!" Rocky grabbed his chest. I placed my hand on his arm as a comforting gesture and leaned in close.

"I don't _actually_ want to switch," I explained. "The joke is that I said the opposite of what I meant."

That did it - well, I didn't understand what exactly I did, but it made Rocky howl and grab the table. He took several minutes to stop laughing.

"Oh, Eden," he said, running a finger under his eye. "You are a piece of work. I love you already."

I just smiled, completely lost. The classroom had filled up as we spoke, teenagers dividing into groups of friends, glaring at people they didn't like and horsing around with those they did. It was fascinating to watch, and I momentarily forgot my social struggles while I observed the human's reactions to one another. It was like a book but even better.

The teacher, a thick and burly man named Mr. Wolfe, did the introduction to the class. He passed out a syllabus and I was the only student in the room who was hanging on every single word. What was disappointing, I looked at the syllabus and discovered Mom and I had already covered the first three or four chapters.

"So, Eden, where are you from?" Rocky asked, playing with a pencil, already tuning the teacher out.

"Maine," I told him.

"And no offense, girl, you're kinda strange," Rocky smiled fondly. "Bet you didn't get out much back in Maine."

I grinned, trying to show him no offense was taken. "I've been home schooled all my life. It's been just my mom and I."

Rocky nodded slowly. "It's my dad and I a lot. He's cool, kinda geeky, anti-social. My mom, she's a scientist, travels a lot. But we talk on the phone."

We chatted throughout the lecture, and I enjoyed that even more than I enjoyed the learning. Rocky made a lot of pop culture references I didn't understand, references I tried to fumble my way through, but he was patient and explained. A girl in front of us, lean and athletic with dark waves of hair, kept throwing glares and eye rolls over her shoulder at me.

"Did I say something to offend that woman?" I whispered to Rocky. He rolled his eyes and slid a hand over my paper, bringing it to himself. I watched as he scrawled in thick writing on the bottom of my syllabus.

 **Ignore Grace. She's a bitch. Ex-girlfriend of mine. Makes a habit of tearing down other chicks, like you, 'cause she feels threatened. I repeat - ignore her.**

I examined the note - my first ever note, I thought with a thudding heart - closely. The glaring made sense now.

"How about you come hang out with your new best friends at lunch?" Rocky asked, eyeing the clock. We only had a few minutes left of instructional time.

"Who?" I asked. My new best friend only smiled cryptically.

"Don't worry, they'll love you."

The bell rang and I followed Rocky down the red painted stairs, through several hallways and to an open-air courtyard, empty except for three other students, and filled with planted flowers and trees. The three students were sitting under a cherry blossom tree dead in the center of the small yard, enjoying the sweet end of summer sunshine.

"Hey, gang," Rocky said, leading me by my elbow. "This is Eden Coleman, she's new."

"Hey," a blonde girl waved. "New, friend, Rocky?"

"That's Rain," Rocky told me. She was gorgeous. Ice-blonde hair, dazzling brown eyes, wine-colored lipstick, she smelled like berries and roses and moved with effortless grace, almost as graceful as a vampire. She smiled at me so warmly, I couldn't help but smile back.

"And Hayley," he introduced the ginger girl, her hair falling down like corkscrews. She didn't talk much, or really at all, but there was no hostility around her. She was evidently the placid, calm one in the group to counteract Rocky's loud rambunctiousness and Rain's sultry, mischievous attitude.

"And I'm Spencer," the boy laying on his elbow said, smiling lazily. He wore a Letterman jacket with Baldwin emblazoned on the back, Astoria High on the chest. He had short, curly auburn hair, a firm jaw and blue eyes that surveyed everything like a king lion surveyed its pride. He smelled like cinnamon hearts, the kind you eat on Valentine's day, and something deep and musky - but undercurrents of clean, pure... something. The smell of pavement after rain. Spencer seemed sort of almost arrogant but I wanted to give him a chance. If Rocky liked him, there must be something to like.

I fell into the eclectic little group. They all looked like they belonged somewhere else. Spencer should have been surrounded by other athletes and cheerleaders. Rain should have been in a group of supermodel-style gorgeous girls, maybe reading magazines or just hanging out. Hayley looked like she'd be just fine by herself, reading in the library or just observing the world. Rocky was the only one who looked like he could be anywhere and still look perfectly at ease. I wondered if he'd "collected" these people, like how he collected me, and brought them together.

"How did you all meet?" I asked in an effort to fold myself into the conversation. Rain perked up, ready to tell the story.

"Hayley's mom and my dad are coworkers," Rain explained. "We have been friends, literally, since we were in utero. I didn't have any other friends, due to some... life choices I made in middle school. Rocky caught his then-girlfriend Grace being a class-A bi-yatch to me in the middle of ninth grade. Cue messy breakup and a new best friend for Hayley and I."

"I don't roll with bullies," Rocky interjected. "Not my style. That's why Grace is such a hater. It was embarrassing."

"And Spencer?" I asked. Spencer gave a lazy grin and ran a bruised hand through his hair. "I got a little too drunk after my first game in tenth grade, last year. I threw up at Big Burger. My hockey friends, they laughed and didn't help me - cool guys, just a little thick. The Rock here got me some water and took me home. Didn't even know each other. Since then we've all just sorta hung out."

"Every day and almost every weekend," Rain added. They asked questions about my life, learning about my lack of father and never being to school. I tried to be as honest as possible while keeping the secret.

"Must have been lonely," Rain sighed, putting her head on my shoulder. "I know how that feels - no offense, Hayley - we went to different middle schools. I had no friends at mine until Rocky."

Rocky smiled proudly. I doubted the existence of a mean bone in his body.

"What's your next class?" Hayley asked. Her voice was gentle, like rustling leaves. I pulled the folded-up schedule out of my hoodie pocket.

"English," I said.

"Me, too," said Hayley. She showed me the way, another upstairs classroom, down at the other end of the hall from my math class.

We took our seat in the back of the room, Hayley explaining that the teacher, Mr. Montenegro, liked to pick on people in the front. The class gradually filled up with students, much in the same way my math class had this morning. Hayley didn't make much conversation, leaning her head on the palm of her hand and observing the room. I had a feeling she was seeing everything - maybe just as much as I was seeing. She'd make a good vampire, I thought. The way she looked at me made me feel exposed, like she knew exactly what I was and didn't mind it.

I looked down at my yellow notebook, the one I dedicated to English, and scrawled a series of looping knots around the edges. Complicated knots, like the Celtic ones, but I liked inventing my own patterns and styles.

"Are you lost?" I heard Mr. Montenegro say to a student that wandered in late.

"No, I think - this is English, right?" said a beautiful voice, sounding completely lost and unsure, just like me. I finished the knot and looked up just as the scent hit my nose. It was sweet, fruity, and warm and unmistakably human toned - but it had the poignant sweet scent of decaying flowers mixed in. Vampire scent. The girl turned and caught my eye just as my scent likely reached her as well. My eyes caught her delicate nostrils flaring and her lips parting.

"We have a seat right here in the front, Miss Masen," the teacher said, seating the girl right in the front row. She turned away from me and sat. Nobody else noticed the strange interaction, nobody but Hayley, who's eyes I felt on the side of my face, but I couldn't look away from the girl's thick bronze ponytail. Her eyes would not leave my mind. They were doe-like, under thick lashes, and a shade of brown I had only ever seen in the mirror.

My eyes.

The class dragged on for a painful hour. The bell rang finally, after I spent the hour not absorbing a single word out of the teacher's mouth. It had to be a coincidence. Maybe all hybrids had brown eyes. Just like all vampires had red ones. I didn't know, as far as my mother knew, I was the only hybrid on planet earth. The girl wove herself into the crowd, disappearing, but I followed her scent.

"Hayley," I said, touching her freckled arm. "Thanks for showing me around. I have to go deal with something. I'll see you."

Hayley only nodded, seeing more than I could explain, and drifted off. There was no time to dwell on the behavior of my strange new friend, I had to follow the hybrid. I tracked her to an empty hallway, where she was waiting for me.

"Who are you?" she asked. Her arms were folded, defensive, but I wasn't fooled. She was just as scared and confused as I was.

"My name is Eden," I kept my stance open, non-offensive. She swallowed hard.

"I'm Renesmee," said the girl. I made myself smile. I made myself say it was nice to meet her. And then we weren't alone - a tall vampire, a real one, was standing between us. He had similar features as her, the same bronze hair, but golden eyes. That made me recoil a little bit. I'd never seen a gold-eyed vampire. Perhaps he was related to her - a father or a brother, even.

"Father," he said softly, as if I'd asked out loud. I frowned at him. "Sorry - I can hear what's on your mind."

My frowned deepened. Could all vampires read minds? Could my mother? Was that why she didn't like me? Concern made itself apparent on the man's beautiful features.

"No, not all vampires can read minds," he told me. "Some vampires - or hybrids - have certain abilities. Special tricks. Forgive my rudeness, my name is Edward Cullen. My daughter, Renesmee. But for the benefit of the humans, she's my sister, and we're Masens."

"Eden," I said. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize there were vampires in this town. I didn't know vampires lived in human places."

Part of me wondered why they were here. Were they feeding on the student body?

"No," Edward's face screwed up. "Our family drinks animal blood, exclusively. Are you with vampires here? Yes? Could you ask them to feed non-locally?"

"One vampire," I held up my pointer finger. "One. My mother."

"Not your father," Edward breathed. "Curious."

I glared at him stiffly. "We don't talk about him."

"That's fine, we won't talk about him, then," Edward was staring at me, staring at my eyes. "It's alright, we won't hurt you. We're here with seven other vampires."

Seven. Wow. I'd only ever met one vampire, my mom. Presumably my dad, but I only had one memory of his hands holding my infant body. Then I never saw him again. There was that concerned look on Edward's face again. I wished he'd knock it off.

He smiled. "Sorry."

"I'm feeling left out of this conversation," Renesmee announced, on her tiptoes, peering over Edward's shoulder with my own eyes in her skull. It freaked me out.

"Freaks me out, too," Edward said. "Forgive me - you look... you look like my wife. Her name is Bella."

And then, the girl from my dream walked around the corner.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

My heart beat fast when I saw the girl. It was unmistakable. She had a face like mine, but hair that was dark, falling down her back in mahogany sheets. Her eyes were gold like Edward's, sweet, and full of concern.

"Holy crow," she said, looking at me. She had the voice from my dream. "Edward...?"

"I'm a little confused, too," I heard Edward shrug behind me. "Bella, this is Eden. She and her mother are new to town."

"Mother. Wow," Bella smiled at me. "Lucky duck."

"Not really," I said. "She doesn't like me."

Bella's dark eyebrows went together, and she looked past me to Edward. I heard him shrug again.

"Are there other hybrids?" I asked Bella. She nodded. That was helpful - I had a million questions. Questions like, when will I die?

"Around the world. We know one, Nahuel, but he lives in South America. Do you know a lot about your kind?" Bella asked me, kindness in every syllable. I shook my head.

"You won't die," Edward said. "Not of old age. You'll stop growing permanently at age seven."

"Oh."

Bella smiled again. "We were worried, too."

I nodded, stuffing my hands in my pockets. I had a lot of questions, unsure what to ask, unsure how. Did this mean we had to leave town? Mom would surely get paranoid the moment she smelled vampire. We'd disappear in the night. I'd never see my new friends again. The thought made me want to cry, but I punished myself. It was my fault. I was the one who got attached, got settled all too fast. I should have known we'd never stay.

"Why are you running, Eden?" Edward asked. I turned away from Bella to face him.

"My mom thinks my dad is chasing us, trying to find us," I told him out loud for the benefit of the others. "He's bad news. I don't even know if he's coming. We move, she gets scared, we leave. This is my first school."

"Hey, mine too!" Renesmee shouldered around Edward to stand face to face with me. "Maybe we can be friends."

"If I don't move," I grinned at her. She beamed back.

"Perhaps it would ease your mother if she met our family," Edward suggested. I nodded. Perhaps. It was worth a try, anyways. I really didn't want to leave. I was conscious of my new cellphone vibrating in my backpack. No doubt Rocky was wondering about me. I'd just answer later.

"What's your mother's name?" Edward asked. I shrugged.

"You don't know," Renesmee raised her eyebrows. "I call my mom Bella. Just so people think we're not related."

"I just call mine Mom. But I have a photo," I said, touching the wooden pendant around my neck. I had one tiny little photo of her pasted inside the pendant. Renesmee touched a silver locket around her neck.

"I have a picture of my parents in here," Renesmee smiled. She opened it and the likenesses of Bella, Edward, and a baby-sized Renesmee smiled up at me. I took my locket off and handed it to her. She looked inside and frowned. Edward frowned as well.

"Bella," Edward said, taking the locket from his daughter. "Do you have any aunts?"

"No," Bella moved over to see the photo. Her mouth dropped open. "Where did you get this photo, Eden?"

It was my turn to frown, feeling like I was in trouble for something. "It's my mom."

"No," Bella looked at me. "Eden. That's my mom."

It took a very long time - the rest of the school day, which we skipped - to untangle the situation. My head and my heart hurt by the end of it. Bella's side of the story was that her parents were divorced when she was little. When this woman, Renee, my mother - our mother, remarried a human named Phil, Bella moved to live with her dad, Charlie. She married Edward. Shortly after Renesmee's birth - which they hid from Renee - Bella received an e-mail saying Renee decided to go backpacking for a long time and wouldn't be able to communicate. It had been a long time since Bella had heard from our mother.

My side of the story was that three years ago, I was born, we ran, and we never looked back. What we couldn't figure out was why I had the eyes of Charlie Swan, the eyes of Bella as a human, the eyes of Renesmee.

"Charlie's not your dad," Bella insisted. "Your dad is a vampire. Charlie's not. I saw him a month ago."

"You still see your dad?" I asked my sister. My sister. My sister. My head hurt.

"He knows we're different, just not _how_ different. All he cares about is that we're alive, and safe."

My heart hurt. I wondered what it felt like to feel loved like that. Edward frowned at me. I frowned back. Edward had been busy making phone calls. He called his mother, Esme, and explained what we knew. Then he called his father, Carlisle, and repeated the story. Then he called a sister, Rosalie, who showed up at the parking lot we'd moved to, with several others in tow.

I was introduced to Emmett, Jasper, Alice, and Rosalie. They were nice enough, though bemused by the situation.

Bella took me away to talk privately for a while.

"The Renee you know is so different from the one I knew," Bella sighed, tracing a stick through the dirt. I stared at the overcast sky, tears welling in my eyes for the millionth time. Everything was so damn confusing.

"I took away her humanity," I confessed. "It is no small wonder that she hates me."

Bella said gently, "Renee couldn't hate anyone." I shook my head. Renee did hate two people. Me and my dad.

My sister kept talking, glaring at the sky as well. "I'm shocked. Disgusted, actually. I can understand why she didn't tell me about you, or about changing. We hid the same things from her. She didn't know I was a vampire when she left. I doubt she knows now. It's just - Eden, the way she _treated_ you."

"I'm used to it," I said but it was a lie, a damn lie, I hated it and I hated my mother and I was envious of Isabella Swan to have known the all-encompassing love of a mother but I couldn't find it in me to hate Bella. In fact, I was pretty sure I loved her.

"We're here for you, Eden," Bella said, putting her arm around my waist and her head on my shoulder as we sat on a picnic bench beside the parking lot. "We somehow wound up in the same place at the same time - and we found each other, and we're sisters, and I'm never, ever letting go."

I leaned into her embrace, feeling safe possibly for the first time in my three-year life.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

School ended and we watched the humans spill from the building like ants, marching to the lined-up yellow buses or to cars or down the street, all eager to get away. My cellphone rang.

"Hello?" I asked. Bella still sat next to me, cross legged on the bench.

"Eden. I came to pick you up. Where are you?"

I could feel Bella tense up, hearing her mother's voice on the phone. I gave her a look with my eyes that asked what to do.

"Tell her where you are," Bella whispered, motioning for Edward. "It's best we talk to her."

"Eden? Who was that?" Mom asked sharply. "What's going on?"

"I'm beside the student parking lot around back," I told her.

"Well, I'm parked out front. Come."

"No, Mom," I swallowed. "You need to come here. I'm with - I'm with Bella."

The line went dead. "Mom? Mom?"

We stood, looking around. Bella hovered protectively next to me, the rest of my vampire extended family standing close by as well. Renee came careening around the corner of the school, looking wildly, holding a crushed cellphone in her hands.

"Isabella!" she cried, rushing to us. They collided into a bone-crushing hug while I stood off to the side. I felt Renesmee's hand slip into mine. She gave it a squeeze. In that moment, that was all I needed to stave off the heart-sinking disappointment of seeing my mother so excited to see her other child. A little bit of anger welled up in my heart like blood from a wound.

"When? How?" Renee held her daughter's face. "It's not possible - all this time? You're not a day over twenty - what happened?"

"Edward," Bella said, holding her mother. "His family. After we got married."

Renee looked at all of us, barely seeing me, and her eyes landed on Renesmee. Jaw dropped.

"And you had a child," Renee cried softly. I'd never seen her express that much emotion.

"We did. As did you, apparently," Bella observed, her tone turning to ice.

"I wanted to tell you," Renee's face crumpled like a child about to cry. "If I'd known who you were, I would have in a heartbeat. Four years ago, Bella, I met the most wonderful man. He was perfect, everything to me. But he was different and I knew it. Before - before I could end things, I discovered... Well, Eden. And then she grew so fast in me and he explained what he was and what our child would be and I wanted to just _die,_ Bella. He changed me after Eden was born and I took her and ran."

Bella's face held no emotion. "What happened to Phil?"

"We had our differences," Renee said. "That's not the point."

"You are not running away, Renee," Bella said. "I'm not letting go of Eden."

Renee didn't even look at me. "I have to. Eventually. He can't find me."

" _Who?_ " Bella asked, exasperated. Renee wouldn't say. I almost expected her to, though. She seemed eager to tell Bella everything. Not me, though. This was more information than I'd ever gotten from her in my life.

Renee came to the Cullen's house with us. I was introduced to Esme Cullen. She hugged me, close to her chest. I clung to the warmth in the hug, despite the fact that I didn't really know her. Then Renesmee was pulling me by the hand through the entire house. It was a big, rusty red brick house nestled in the forest of the hill next to the harbor - the only house on the hill, and from the windows upstairs you could peer out at all of Astoria and Astoria Harbor, while they could not peer in.

She showed me the foyer, a large open room with mahogany flooring and maroon walls. Through an archway to the right of the front door was the kitchen, a long and shiny room done in an Italian sort of style, marble counter tops and a breakfast nook, with three floor-to-ceiling windows that faced into the darkening forest. Then Renesmee pulled me to the staircase - a double staircase, curved like a C, both sets of stairs leading up to a balcony. Up on the balcony, we could look down through the potted plants at the foyer below, with the front door and the living room and the kitchen arch. It was great. The balcony was the edge of the second floor, which Renesmee showed me, that had her room, two empty bedrooms, two bathrooms and a study.

"Carlisle's study," she explained, pointing at all the ancient photographs and more recent medical journals. "That's my room, there, and this room is for my friend Jacob when he arrives, and that's a guest room."

"Cool," I said, looking everywhere she pointed.

"Bella and Edward's room is upstairs," Renesmee pointed at a staircase. "Along with Alice and Jasper's room, and Esme's drawing room."

She took me downstairs and showed me a wide garage, filled with shiny cars. "Upstairs of the garage is Rosalie and Emmett's room. They like to build cars and Edward says they're loud so they get to live over the garage."

"Oh."

"Esme and Carlisle's room is down that hallway," Renesmee pointed past the kitchen, under the staircase to a hallway. "Plus another spare bedroom and more bathrooms."

"Big house," I observed, wondering what on earth I'd ever do with all that space.

"There's a lot of us," Nessie shrugged. "But it's always been that way."

I looked out the windows at the now-black trees. The sun had dipped too low behind the mountains for any light to peek through.

"Eden," Renee said. "Time to go."

Renesmee hugged me tightly goodbye. Then Bella and Edward and Esme and Alice. I promised I'd see them at school in the morning.

"No matter what," Bella gave my shoulders a squeeze. "Text me if you want to talk more."

Renee and I didn't talk on the way home. We didn't talk while I ate macaroni and cheese. We didn't talk and I dressed for bed and closed my door and went under the covers. I had a lot of text messages from Rocky and Rain asking if I was okay. They had added me to a group texting thread.

Rocky: Nobody has seen Eden! Going to kick her ass in the morning.

Rocky: That is a joke, by the way, Eden.

Hayley: She's ok. Had some stuff to do.

Rain: But why isn't she texting back!

Spencer: You worry 2 much

Rocky: That's what friends do jackass

Eden: Hi guys. I'm ok. Sorry to worry!

I wrote a message explaining that I had family in town, and wanted to see them. And then I fell into a deep, tired sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

I did not speak to Renee that morning. She jerked at the slightest of sounds, staring out the window.

"Did you dream?" she asked me. I ignored her and rinsed my cereal bowl. I'd woken up early that morning and laid in bed considering the recent events. Renee had abandoned everyone who ever loved her. Charlie Swan, Phil, her first daughter. It felt comforting to know that it wasn't just me. The only one Renee loved was herself. She stopped me before I could retreat upstairs.

"Eden, I really think we have a lot to talk about," Renee said, her voice pinched and drawn out. "I worry that he's found us."

"Oh, don't do this!" I huffed, pulling away. "For God's sake, we're not leaving again."

Her face was like a stone. "And who made you boss?"

"You did when you chose not to be a parent," I scoffed. Renee recoiled like I'd slapped her. "I get not telling Bella about me, but keeping me in the dark about my _entire family_ is just cruel. Even for you."

"I was going to tell you about Bella," Renee began, putting her head in her hands. "Please, Eden, I'm begging you to just hear me out."

"So talk, then."

"I can feel him coming closer with every passing day. He won't give up until he finds me. I didn't know what to do, Eden. One day when it was safe, I was going to sneak us into Forks and show you Bella. I expected her and Edward to be living there still, raising children ... oh, my Bella. She'll never... she'll never get to live a human life."

She didn't even give me answers, just went on about her poor Bella, poor Renee, nothing is fair, everything is bad. I was sick of it. I looked away from her. "I don't want to hear any more, now."

I grabbed my schoolbag and pushed through the screen door, out onto the white-painted front porch. The cold didn't bother me at all, considering I was a natural furnace. For that I was lucky, a cold wind swept through Astoria and brought promises of a long and icy winter. It soothed my hot, angry face, and I started down the street with my hair blowing out behind me, tickling my ears as I fumed. I still hated Renee. Hated her for the love she never gave me, for uprooting my life again and again over a hunch.

Most of the town and the harbor beyond were encased in a thick fog, creating a ghostly and isolated atmosphere. It was comforting above all else. I thought about Bella. I wanted to run all the way to that big house on the hill and find her inside, ready to hold me and braid my hair and make up for the love that I didn't get. Maybe it was too late for me to ever, ever love Renee - but it wasn't too late to have a sister.

I was frustrated at Renee's act this morning. Like I should just forgive her because she had a bad time. I wanted to tell her that I hated her and slam the door in her face. Tell her she didn't deserve Bella's love or mine or anyone else's, and that I'd do just fine on my own without her. Something stopped me - the Cullens seemed like such kind people, people who did the right thing even when it was hard to. I wanted to be a Cullen. If that meant not sinking down and hurting Renee, I could handle that… as hard as it was, of course. I had all this fire inside and it was burning me, burning my lungs, my throat. Desperately I wanted to scorch Renee with that fire.

I reached the main part of town and I walked past cute little stores and cafes. It was so quaint and kind. A few people were out and about at this time of the morning, opening their shops. I grinned, looking up at all the colorful awnings, boxes full of flowers, people humming as they walked. The positivity was infectious. Some people even waved or smiled at me. People I didn't even know!

The school appeared in my vision, and I crossed the street. I walked through the parking lot - more like bounced. The happiness of Astoria put a real spring in my step. The school was just starting to fill with people by the time I arrived. Rocky strode up and pulled me into a rib-squeezing hug the moment I got into the school.

"We missed you yesterday," Rocky said. "Morning, Gorgeous."

"Yeah - sorry about that," I brushed a hand through my wind-tangled hair. "Um, family thing."

We walked towards the math room, chatting aimlessly. Having friends was still so new to me, I hung on every damn word that came from Rocky's mouth. At the top of the stairs, I was hit with the force of a missile. We nearly crashed into the wall, which would have shattered the beautiful mural in a heartbeat.

"Nessie!" I shouted at the girl planted firmly in my arms. "God!"

"Sorry, I just missed you!" she giggled, picking me up. Her year or so ahead of me meant she was stronger. I squirmed in her arms, embarrassed, feeling the eyes of the other students on us.

"Okay, okay!" I laughed. "Put me down!"

Nessie set me down on the floor. "I wish we didn't have school today! Or at least I wish we had more classes together!"

I laughed while she rearranged the bright curls around her shoulders. "Where's Bella? I gotta talk to her."

Nessie gestured behind her. I looked to see Bella, leaning against the wall by the math room with Edward. Rocky was still standing, staring at me with an open mouth. I told him to go grab us seats.

"Bella," I said, rushing over to them. "What am I telling my friends? About knowing you?"

"Um," she thought for a moment. "Our backstory is that Renesmee and Edward are the biological kids of Carlisle and Esme. My parents are family friends of theirs and I'm staying with them to study. Alice and Emmett are adopted from different families when they were younger, and Rose and Jasper are twins who the Cullens foster. My friend Jacob's going to be my cousin who comes to study, too. You'll be my full sister, okay? We can say our parents divorced and you and our mom moved here to be close to me."

"Okay," I said, committing it to memory.

"Okay," Bella repeated. She regarded me for a moment, then tucked a loose piece of hair behind my ear. "Get to class, now."

"Yeah, yeah," I laughed. "Whatever, big sister."

Bella glowed at me with that impossibly warm smile. I beamed back at her before waving to the others and darting into the classroom. True to his word, Rocky had selected two chairs for us in the middle corner, his backpack resting on the other chair.

"Sorry about that," the chair scraped when I pulled it back. "That's my family."

"That…?" Rocky asked incredulously. "Explain."

"Er, the dark haired girl is my sister, Bella. She's living with the Cullens right now 'cause our parents were best friends with theirs growing up. Our parents just separated so… It's just been hard. We moved here to be close to her."

"I'm sorry," Rocky softened. "That must suck for you."

"Yeah," I shrugged. "No biggie."

The teacher began talking. He was nattering away about sin, cosin and tangent. I had already covered that with Renee. Instead of listening, I doodled on the edge of my paper. The girl directly in front of Rocky passed back a torn piece of note paper to me, flicking her blonde hair. I opened it, confused.

In a loopy, bubbly scrawl, she'd written a message.

 _ **Are you and Rocky like a thing? I'm asking as a friend. You don't want Grace to hate you. And Rocky is bad news**_ _._

I could feel Rocky's eyes on me, peeking from the side. I casually wrote back.

 _No, I'm not interested in dating anyone._

Neatly folding the note, I handed it back to her. Rocky was full-on watching now. She read the note and nodded, smiling back at me. The two girls put their heads together and began whispering fervently. Rocky nudged me with his knee but I just shrugged it off - I had decided not to worry myself with any of this high-school drama. No shenanigans for me, no sir. It was hard enough being a fatherless vampire hybrid child with mommy issues.

Rocky and me whispered too, the entire hour-long class. I wanted to know everything about him, inside and out, good and bad, although I doubted there was any bad in him at all. When the bell rang, I had completely zoned out. My head jerked up.

"You got English now," Rocky said. "It's Tuesday so, no double blocks."

"Right," I said, standing. "I'll see you at lunch?"

"'Course," he grinned as we left the classroom. Rocky left me at the stairs with a kiss on the cheek and I saw Grace's eyes in my peripheral vision. They hard turned to a hard glare. It looked like she was about to say something, but Edward swooped in out of nowhere and steered me down the hall.

"Making friends, are we?" Edward murmured. I lifted my eyebrows, the picture of innocence. We reached Renesmee, who was waiting outside our English room.

"You should see what goes on in that young gentleman's mind," Edward said. "You've left quite the impression."

Renesmee giggled next to me, her hands flying to my ribs. "He's got a crush!"

"Nessie," I groaned, looking to Edward for confirmation. He just nodded, showing off the dimples in his cheeks. My own face flamed. This is, I realized, what it felt like to be teased by siblings. It was a good, warm, fluttery feeling. How sad, though, was it that over the last two days, I'd had more happiness than I did in the few years I'd been alive. Edward gave me a brief, sad look. I just smiled it off. Getting used to the whole mind-reading thing would be a bit of a trick.

After English, Nessie joined the other Cullens and I joined my human friends. We sat under the tree again, lazily talking about school and enjoying the last bit of warmth summer had to offer under a dangerously overcast sky. I predicted cold rain within a week.

"My next class is History," I told them before the bell rang. "I missed it yesterday."

"I'll take you," Spencer said. "We have it together. It's so boring."

Walking down the hall with Spencer Baldwin was interesting, to say the least. He seemed popular. Many people waved, called out greetings or just stared. He seemed aloof, above it all, like it was just a given for him. I stayed tucked into his side, shy under all the attention. In the classroom I expected him to go off and join his other friends, but he chose a table for us and plopped down right next to me.

One thing Spencer got right was the general dryness of History class. I decided I didn't like it and doodled on my paper. Talking to Spencer was fun, though, until he promptly fell asleep, his head resting on his folded-up arms. Spencer's cheek smushed against his forearm and I watched him doze. He seemed so innocent, careless and friendly in his sleep. There was no trace of arrogance on this boy's face, not when he was passed out. I decided that while I did not like History class, I did however like Spencer quite a lot.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

I went home with the Cullens that day.

"Come for dinner, Esme's cooking is stellar," Edward suggested with a wry look. "Or so I've heard."

"It is," Nessie testified on Esme's behalf. I couldn't pass up the invitation even if I wanted to. Besides, I reasoned, we could do our homework together. I texted Renee and told her I wouldn't be home for dinner - like she cared.

Esme hugged me fondly when we arrived at the house. I leaned into the soft hug, enjoying it more than I could ever say. Renesmee told me she had to make a phone call to her best friend back in Forks, so I sat on a tall stool in the Italian-style kitchen while Esme made bread rolls. She folded the dough back and forth in gentle rhythm while we talked about our days.

"There's a boy, maybe" I said, sipping on the hot lemon-and-honey drink Esme made. The sweet, warm liquid sat in my chest and my stomach, my whole body thrumming with the warmth. It was the perfect fall afternoon, sitting there with the smell of bread rolls baking, drinking something hot, talking to someone who hung on every word, someone who actually cared.

"What's he like?" Esme asked. Though she wasn't looking at me, I could tell she was focused on what I said. Unlike Renee… who kept a cordial distance no matter what I said, unless it had to do with a dream.

"He's a friend of mine, incredibly funny and kind," I smiled into the thick ceramic mug. "Dark, handsome, and he calls me Gorgeous."

"Oh my," Esme pretended to fan herself. "And he likes you?"

"Edward says he thought about me all day," I giggled.

Esme nodded seriously. "Now that is something."

She bopped me on the nose, leaving a flour fingerprint that made me laugh. "Just be careful around boys. You've got three big ones looking out for you now."

My heart glowed like it never had before. It felt, in those precious moments in the kitchen, like I had a real mother. I tried not to be resentful of Renee in those moments, determined to act like a true Cullen while Esme hummed sweet songs and told me her own stories from the Cullen family's long history. She told me about their houses, their friends, how they all found each other and built a family. Particularly, the story of how Esme and Carlisle met gave me a special kind of joy.

When afternoon drew into evening, Renesmee and I did homework together. We perched at the kitchen island, books spread, talking more than we wrote while Esme moved around cooking dinner. When it was done, Nessie and I just shoved our work to the side and ate at the island, since we were the only family members who ate.

Esme had cooked up the hot dinner rolls, cut in half and spread with butter. She placed the bread down alongside a pasta dish, with this flat type of spaghetti drenched in amazing sauce. While we ate, praising God for creating Esme and her wonderful cooking, Nessie told me about Jacob. She told me about the wolves, the pack in Forks, Washington, and how they had a special bond ever since her birth.

I listened avidly. He would be arriving in a few days to move in with the Cullens. Before he could leave, he had to deal with rearranging his pack's dynamic and then he would be free to come to Oregon. I envied Renesmee and how happy her life had always been. She was always surrounded with love, never doubted that she was wanted. It wasn't a violent envy, I didn't hate Renesmee for being born into the life I never got. It was a wistful envy, tinted with hope, like maybe I could feel that type of love one day. Now that I had found Bella and she found me, the chances of us ever letting go, ever being separated again were zero.

"Eden, time to go, honey," Renee said, leaning into the kitchen. I was amazed she even remembered I was there. I put my shoes on while she and Bella embraced. My newfound siblings pulled me into a big, dogpile hug. Emmett spun me around in the air while I screeched. Rosalie promised that she and Alice and I would do something together soon. With that, the love of my family hanging in the air, Renee and I went back to our yellow house on the hill.

I showered, finished my homework and got into bed. I scrunched up my nose, worming down under the covers as deep as I could. The giddy, overwhelming feeling of love from everyone I'd met in the last few days soothed me to sleep almost instantly.

I woke up that morning, grey light barely illuminating my room, with a heavy heart that I couldn't shake. No dream had triggered it for once, but as I went through the human motions of getting ready, I couldn't get rid of the terribly sore feeling in my chest. Renee was quiet. She wouldn't even speak to me. I was just fine, almost thankful.

Rocky gave me his special rib-crunching hug and kiss on the cheek when I arrived. It helped a little to dissuade the foreboding feeling that still sat within me. And then Edward found us. He looked stressed, his face tight and the lines angular and hard. Rocky's throat bobbed.

"Your big bro looks mad," Rocky stage-whispered. "Want me to take off?"

"I'll see you in Math," I touched his arm. He left me to Edward.

"Eden," Edward murmured, placing his hands on my shoulders. "Today is likely going to be hard for everyone. Alice had a vision. I'm sorry, I can't tell you all of it because it's not my... place, for lack of a better word, and we're hoping it will change. But I want you to know we're all here for you."

I stared up at him. He only blinked sadly back. My brother-in-law wrapped me in a hug instead of explaining.

For the entire day, I didn't focus. I jumped at the slightest of sounds. My friends tried to make me laugh, tried to get me to open up. How could I open up when I didn't even know what was wrong?

The other Cullens acted weird, too. They were more serious than usual, moving protectively around me, always within arms' reach. After school, I went home with them like what was becoming normal to me.

The trees slid by on the way to their house, a heavy rain tumbling down, blurring the sight beyond the windows. The radio played quietly as Renesmee chattered about her day, and how excited she was that Jake would arrive tomorrow.

When we arrived, Esme pulled me into her arms and gave me a more fierce hug than usual. I inhaled, smelling fresh Renee scent in the house.

"What's going on, Esme?" I asked frustratedly. "Nobody will tell me anything."

"Eden," Renee said, standing by the couches. She was dressed in sturdy, weatherproof clothes.

"Mom?" I broke away from Esme, stepping forward. "Are we leaving again?"

"I'm sorry, Eden, I think he's found me," Renee said. "If I can run, distract him, even take him down, he can't hurt you."

"You're leaving," I said. "You are. You're leaving me behind this time."

"Don't say it like that, Eden," Renee chided. "It's for your own good. The Cullens… They'll take good care of you."

I didn't say anything, just stared at her. This couldn't be real. The rest of the family had joined us at this point, even Carlisle, wearing matching expressions of disappointment, sympathy - or in Jasper's case, empathy.

It was my worst nightmare, I realized. In the back of my mind, I always felt like she only pretended didn't want me. Yet here she was, facing my family, our family, making it final and leaving. With a heavy and final thud I realized Renee really and truly and honestly did not love me.

"You can't go," I said weakly but it was clearly no use. Bella echoed my statement.

"Mom, you can't." Maybe she'd listen to Bella - she actually liked Bella.

"You'll be safe here," Renee spoke, addressing me. "Even if he somehow finds you. The Cullens will keep you safe. Edward, you protected one of my daughters already, please, protect Eden."

"I will, Renee," Edward said. I would have turned to him but I couldn't tear my eyes off of her.

"Why?" I whispered. "Why?"

She said nothing. She turned. In a blur of motion, out the door, into the frightening and large world, my mom disappeared. I sank to the floor, defeated. She left, just like that. Without even really looking at me.

I was vaguely aware of Emmett's arms around me. I just curled up in his lap. The door stayed planted firmly in my vision. Maybe, if I stared hard enough - I mean really hard - she'd come back and things would change. But would they?

She left Charlie. She even let Bella go away despite her being unhappy. She left Phil. She left me.

Esme knelt down in front of Emmett and I. Her face was twisted in sadness. I didn't even feel the tears until she wiped them from my cheeks. Cold hands felt good on my flushed, irritated skin.

"Eden, I'm so sorry," Esme whispered. Emmett's arms lifted me up so my head was pressed into his neck. I just cried. I don't know how long we sat there, but we did until I couldn't cry anymore. Here I was, an abandoned child.

When we stood up again, dark had fallen and Esme was quietly making dinner. I could smell it - she was cooking a carb-heavy, soul food type of dinner. Comfort food. That helped me come to terms with this change. It was really happening, I was really going to binge eat and cry into my pillow.

Where was my pillow, anyways? Did I live here now?

"You do live here now," Edward answered from the couch where he and Bella had been ever since Renee left. "We have a room for you upstairs. Alice went out a little while ago to get furniture."

"Okay," I whispered.

"Renee brought your suitcase today," Edward said. "With your clothes and all your things, so you don't have to return to the house."

"Okay."

"Eden? Are you hungry?" Esme peeked around the corner. "I made a big dinner."

"Yeah, thanks," I said. Emmett gave my head a rather unintentionally forceful pat and sent me off to the kitchen. Renesmee sat at the table, eyes rimmed with red.

"What's wrong with you?" I asked, sitting up next to her. She sniffled lightly.

"I just feel so bad," she said. "I've been here having a great time and being so happy… and you're going through this."

It was ridiculous and touching at the same time. She didn't have to be unhappy just because I was - it was adorable, the size of her heart. My sister did a good job making Nessie. Not a bad bone in her body, just like Rocky.

"Nessie," I snorted, suddenly I was laughing, laughing and crying, wrapping my arms around her. She laughed too, wiping the tears off her cheek. It was a beautiful moment. And then, of course, true to our half-human sides, we sat for almost an hour and ate the amazing soul food Esme had cooked for us.

After dinner, Alice brought me upstairs to get my opinion on the bedroom. A large window on the back wall showed the wide forest, with the harbor just beyond. The room was painted a generic yellow, but I liked it. It had sandy-colored carpet and Alice had filled it with furniture. A vanity sat against one wall, a queen bed pushed against the other with thick, fluffy purple covers and my old green quilt folded up on a cushy armchair. My clothes were placed neatly in the closet drawers. A lamp sat on the bedside table, and a string of fairy lights wound around the crown molding on the roof.

"Alice," I said, shocked. "This is beautiful."

"Your photos and mementos are in that jewelry box on the vanity," she pointed out, smiling proudly. "And your CDs are all in the bedside drawer."

"Thank you," I said. She just hugged me in response.

The family left me to settle in - or freak out, whichever I needed to do.

I curled up on the bed, not quite sure what to do with myself. I'd been so mean to Renee for the last several days. I yelled at her, rejected her, held the poison of hatred in my chest and let those bitter feelings take over everything I did.

So was it really any wonder that my mother left me behind? After all, how many times had I pushed her and said I didn't need her, that she didn't want me?

Things at the household slipped into a comfortable monotony. Jacob arrived shortly after I moved in, and we wound up getting along really well. In the morning, Nessie and I would dress together. Then we'd all go to school. I hung out with my friends during school, and then after school come back home with my siblings and do our homework. Whoever wasn't preoccupied, I would spend quality time with. Esme taught me about drawing, Carlisle showed me his medical journals, Alice and Jasper would sit and listen to the stories I wrote in my writing class. On the weekends my human friends and I would go for drives in Rocky's car and eat midnight snacks at Big Burger. The ache that Renee left started to fade.

Bella and I discovered all the things we had in common. The reading, the music taste, the mannerisms. It felt good to know that even though we grew up separately, we were one in the same.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

A month after I joined the Cullens, in October, Bella came to me with an announcement.

"Remember how I told you all about my father?" Bella said, sitting cross-legged on the armchair by the window. I nodded. She smiled meekly.

"He's coming to visit. He really wants to meet you," she continued. "We told him all about you."

"What?!" I asked. "Why me?"

"You're Renee's daughter, he loved her a lot. I mean, as far as he's concerned, you're family too," Bella said. "Which you are."

I nodded slowly, still apprehensive but not wanting to offend Bella with the anxiety I felt about meeting her dad. It would open up so many questions and basically, I thought, reinforce the fact that Bella and I were only sisters through Renee - but there was still the mystery of the matching eyes.

"When's he coming?" I asked. Bella ducked her head, not meeting my eyes.

"Tomorrow," she whispered, grinning.

"BELLA!"

She ran from the room, laughing. I gave chase even though my speed was no match for hers. In the hallway, I smacked chest-first into Renesmee. We toppled, everything she was carrying landing on the floor.

"Jeez!" Nessie cried. I propped myself up, laughing too hard to stand. After the initial shock, Nessie was laughing too. Bella just cackled at how ridiculous we looked.

"Hey, I was just coming to find you," Nessie said, brushing herself off. "Do you want to go camping?"

"Camping how?" I asked. When we collided, she had dropped several sleeping bags. Jacob was standing to the side with blankets and pillows. "Renesmee, it's pouring rain outside."

"I know that, just come along," she said. We helped each other up, still giddy. I followed her and Jacob down the stairs, towards the sliding glass door that led to the atrium - my favorite room in the house. It was just off the side of the house that was shrouded in forest, a room with thick glass walls and a peaked glass roof. The floor was half done in blue tile and half sandy colored carpet. In the tiled section, the section farthest from the door, a small hot tub burbled.

"We're camping in here," Jacob explained to me as we walked through the door. "Like being in the great outdoors."

"Just without the outdoors part," Nessie pointed out, setting down the sleeping bags. "We don't even need a tent."

Rain pounded against the roof and streaked down the sides of the room, illuminated by the blue light from the tub. I had to admit it was awesome. We arranged the sleeping bags into a loose half circle on the carpet. Renesmee brought the star lantern from her bedroom, casting pinpoints of light on the glass and the floor, reflecting off the water and dancing around the warm atrium.

The three of us laid on our sleeping bags, heads together, staring up at the glass ceiling while the rain thundered down.

"How's it going with Rocky?" Jacob asked me. I chewed my lip. We'd started going on little adventures, just us without the others, to cafes around town, or to the park near the harbor.

"Good, I think," I said. My hands were folded over my stomach. The gentle rise and fall reminded me how human I was, and how human I was not.

"You know… You know it's not a good idea to fall for a human, right?" Jacob asked. "I say this because I'm your friend and I love you."

"I know," I rolled onto my stomach, looking at the top of his head. I caught Nessie looking at the side of his face from where she laid, looking totally smitten without even realizing it. I wish I had that. They were both immortal, they could fall in love on their own time and have all the years in the world to spend together.

Jacob was quiet for a moment before flipping over to look at me. Renesmee had flipped over as well, innocently drawing crescent shapes in the thick carpet with her pinky. She and Jake exchanged a long look.

"I have a friend," Jacob said casually. "Back in Forks, but he's coming to visit soon. He's a phaser, like me, so… that solves the immortality problem."

I chewed on the inside of my cheek. "Yeah, I dunno."

Both Jacob and Nessie smiled.

"Just think on it," Nessie offered. "I know you might have a thing going with Rocky, honey, but he's human."

I agreed to at least meet Jacob's friend. Maybe it would be everything I needed. A fellow outcast, not quite human but not something else altogether. As much as I tried to picture myself with a werewolf boy, Rocky wouldn't go from my mind.

My hands ran over the smooth velvet a thousand times. Bella gently pulled my wrists away from my skirt. She held them in her cool hands, calming the fever-like temperature of my skin.

"You look amazing," Bella said. "He's going to love you."

"Are you sure you want to introduce me to your dad?" I asked, chewing on my lip. "I mean, he's your dad. Not my dad."

"I'm sure," Bella reminded me. My eyes searched hers - gold, deep gold.

"Why?"

"Because, you're family. You're part of Renee, you're something good in this world. He just… There's so many reasons why he wants to meet you."

"Okay."

I heard a car pull up. Bella grinned. Footsteps on grass… footsteps on concrete… then the door opened. I slid behind the tall potted fern and peered down, over the foliage, into the foyer. Charlie had just stepped over the threshold, wearing a black windbreaker and jeans. He was looking around in surprise at the house.

"Wow," he breathed out. "You outdid yourself here, Esme."

He examined the warm furnishings, the tall windows, the plants spilling from open spaces. Esme beamed.

"Thank you very much, Charlie, and it is so wonderful to see you again," Esme said while they hugged. "The girls are upstairs… Bella! Eden! Charlie's here!"

"Come on," Bella tugged my wrist. "Let's go."

I followed her to the left staircase, allowing her to lead me down the smooth steps. My legs felt like Jell-O. Charlie took her in for a moment - then his eyes flicked behind her to me. His pulse both skipped a beat and kicked up a notch. His throat bobbed. I ducked my head.

"Bells," he said fondly. "Nice to see you."

"Yeah, Dad, you too. This is Eden."

Charlie regarded me with his deep brown eyes. They were an exact match for Renesmee's, no doubt a match for Bella's if she were still human.

And exactly, without a doubt, a match for mine.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

"Nice to meet you, Eden," Charlie said, stepping forward. He held out a hand. I took it - well, his hand was much bigger than mine. My pale hand disappeared into his. I felt the blood underneath his skin, his pulse. Something about it was impossibly familiar. Comforting and right, like the type of hands that would pat your back while you were sick, hands that would clumsily try to braid your hair or catch you when you fell.

"It's nice to meet you, too," I told him sincerely. He smiled before releasing my hand.

Bella took Charlie on a tour of the newest Cullen estate. I followed along, answering questions from Charlie as best I could.

"So, when were you born, exactly?" Charlie asked, looking at me before mentally comparing it to Bella.

"More recently than it seems," I said.

"How?"

"Need to know, Charlie," Bella interjected. "It's time for us to really talk about this."

We were standing in her and Edward's room. She gestured to the black leather sofa. Charlie sat, nearly pouting. It was funny, he pouted just like Bella. I sat on the bed cross-legged and waited for Bella to take the lead.

"We don't know where Renee is," Bella said. "We found Eden by accident. Then Renee came along. Something happened, Dad, she's different. She's like us now, she's like Esme and I. When I found out… She's running from something, someone, Eden's father, so she took off again. We looked for her but she's hiding. She's been running with Eden since she was born. She left Eden with us for her safety. She knew we'd take care of Eden and that she'd want to know me."

"It just doesn't make sense, Bella!" Charlie boomed. He rubbed his hands on his face, back and forth. "I never ask questions. I've been so good about this. But you show me this girl who looks like a carbon copy of Renee and… She's… Are you sure there's no way she's mine?"

"She isn't, Dad, I'm sorry," Bella said softly. "She's different, like Renesmee. You're not the right kind of different. Does that make sense?"

"No," he breathed, defeated. "Nothing's made sense since you married Edward Cullen."

"I'm sorry, Dad," Bella said again. "I'd tell you everything, all of it if I could - and I really want to. But it would put you in danger if I did."

"Are you in danger?" he said. "Is Eden? Renee? I'm a cop, Bella. I can protect you."

"This goes deeper than cops and robbers. We're not in danger."

"Then why is Renee running?" Charlie folded his arms defiantly. "Why isn't she here raising her child?"

Although I was momentarily wounded by the last words, I waved a hand. "Maybe this is a question I'm more qualified to answer."

Charlie and Bella turned to me.

"We're running from my 'father'," I said, emphasizing the air quotes. "All I know is that Mom hates him, she's afraid of him, so we've been moving from town to town trying to avoid him. Mom gets paranoid after like a month and we move again. She got paranoid again even with the Cullens protecting us. She left me."

Charlie's face darkened. Angry tears, like the ones I got when I was frustrated, brimmed in his eyes.

"All Renee does is leave," Charlie grunted. "You know what we were gonna name our kids? Isabella, Vincent, and Eden."

My heart broke. I wanted to hug Charlie - his pain suddenly was my own. We both felt what it was like to be left behind by Renee.

"You never told me that," Bella whispered, glancing at me. I gave her a small smile.

"I know," Charlie said. "Didn't wanna bring up the past. Where's Phil, anyways?"

"We have no idea," she sighed. "Renee left him for Eden's father."

Charlie's eyes bugged in response.

We sat down to a family dinner together that evening. Charlie brought photo albums for me to look at. Baby photos of Bella, of their house, of her visits to him. Later there was photos of a human-looking teenage Bella with a younger, skinnier Jacob. Then photos of Bella and Charlie, Bella and Edward, photos of the wedding, of Renesmee's rapid growth. It was funny - Bella took after Charlie and I took after Renee, but we looked so similar, especially in the human photos of her.

"I'd like to…" Charlie said gruffly. "I'd like to add some photos of you, too."

I smiled hopefully. "Yes, I'd like that, quite a lot."

Long into the evening, the Cullens and Charlie sat around and talked. Old stories were told, reminiscing and laughing. I told Charlie everything I could about my life, watered down to accommodate the lack of humanity.

That night, curled in bed, I turned my name over and over again in my head. Eden, Eden. Isabella, Vincent, Eden. For some reason, Renee held on to that name long after she and Charlie broke up. She named me for something that was long-dead, just a memory at that point, over twenty years in the past. Yet she held on and delivered me to the Cullens, to Charlie Swan, my name being a message.

What was Renee doing? And why did she hold on? Was there something I didn't ever see in her, something kind, something that died when she did? Did it really die or did she hide it to survive?

Eden Swan, I thought. Eden. Swan. Charlie's daughter, Bella's sister. That was the life I missed out on.

I heard Edward's footsteps linger outside of my room for a moment. He must have heard my mind, buzzing like angry, angry wasps, the questions bouncing off my skull. I tried to quiet it for his sake. Classic Edward, didn't want to intrude on my late-night wondering, keeping his distance, knowing I'd call for him if I needed help untangling my mind.

I loved my family, I realized. Eden Cullen. I loved them all, fiercely, every single one, Carlisle, Esme, Edward, Bella, Jasper, Alice, Emmett, Rosalie, Renesmee, Jacob, Charlie. My big family, my big mis-matched funny family.

There was no Eden Dwyer. There never was.

Charlie stayed with us for a week. Over the course of that week, it was like stepping into the Twilight Zone. The family had to keep up their human pretense until Charlie was sound asleep. Therefore in the morning, everyone "ate" breakfast together. Then, Renesmee and Jacob - who pretended to be a teacher's aid - and I left for school. Everyone else had "graduated" already, when they lived in Forks.

To keep up the pretense of jobs, although with the Cullen's estate it wasn't necessary, Edward pretended to go hospital with Carlisle where he had an "internship", but he really came to school to keep an eye on Nessie and I. Emmett and Rosalie worked restoring cars for money, disappearing into the Cullen garage every day. Esme was a stay at home mother, so she spent time with Charlie. Bella claimed to be doing university courses online, often doing "homework" while spending time with Charlie.

Jasper and Alice ran off to God knows where. Jacob joked that they were probably playing receptionist and businessman. Renesmee bit him.

School went by quickly. I was achieving straight A's along with Renesmee. Jacob struggled a little more.

Wednesday of that week, enjoying one last day outside in our usual spot before we'd have to retreat indoors at lunch, Spencer and Rocky butted heads.

"Eden, you're gonna be my cheerleader at the big game, right?" Spencer asked, laying on his stomach on the picnic bench beside the tree. "Wear a cute little skirt and dance in the bleachers?"

"Fuck off, Spencer," Rocky glared at him. Spencer stared evenly back.

"What? I'm just jokin' around," Spencer said. "No need to be uptight."

Rocky didn't smile. "You _know_ what. Eden's got standards."

"That must be why you're still single, Rocky!" Spencer said in mock surprise. Rocky launched a rock at Spencer, who ducked, laughing.

"Cut it out before I kick your ass, Baldwin," Rocky growled.

I cut in, folding my arms. "How about you stop talking about me like I'm not here."

Spencer looked down, chastised but Rocky held fast.

"I'm just defending you," he said. I arched both my eyebrows. Defending me? From Spencer?

"I don't need defending," I informed him harshly.

Hayley's voice echoed off the brick walls. "Rocky, how about you get your enormous head out of your ass for once in your goddamn life? News flash, it's not all about you and your feelings. Spencer says the same exact stuff to Rain and me and you never say anything about it."

And with that Hayley spun on her heel, tucked me into her side and marched us into the school, into the seldom-used ladies' bathroom in the back corner of the building. I hopped up on the counter, frustrated tears already forming. Some entire subtext had passed through the group and I was still hopelessly lost, not understanding any of it or why everyone was suddenly mad.

"What the hell was all of that about?" I asked as Hayley set about dabbing some cool water on my flushed cheeks.

"He's being mean because he's jealous," Hayley explained. "Now, I shouldn't tell you this and I'm not the type of friend to spread things said in confidence, however the situation calls for it. Clearly Rocky isn't man enough to tell you himself. He's telling us he's fallen in love with you, and that he hopes you two would be together."

"I don't have the time for this!" I said.

"I know," Hayley said. I believed her. She knew something was off about my family. How none of us were "related" but we all looked alike. It was just too coincidental. The way Hayley looked at me, looked at Renesmee the times they had spoken. It was just too eerie. It felt like she knew our secret.

What I wanted was to go home, to kick back with my brothers and let them whoop me at violent video games. Still, there were two classes left in the day.

In the hallway I collided with Rocky.

"Hey," he said, a his hands on my shoulders. "Eden, I'm sorry."

"It's okay," I shrugged. He regarded me for a moment.

"C'mon, I don't usually skip school but we can miss a little now and again," Rocky said, leading me out the double doors. We walked through the back lot as more clouds descended. Across the grass, there was a small gazebo with climbing plants along the pillars.

"The gardening club teamed up with the carpentry club and built this old thing," Rocky explained. It was beautiful, obviously well-loved. I wonder how many students had skipped class here, smoked stolen cigarettes, had important and heartbreaking and poetic conversations. He led me up the short steps and sat cross-legged on the white painted wood. I sat too, leaning against the railing.

"We should talk," he said as the bell rang for class. I took a long look at the school and then up at his face, the smooth planes of his cheekbones, the little crevices under his eyes. "Eden, I really like you. More than friends."

I nodded my head, thick hair tickling my bare shoulders. "Rocky. You know this is my first time being... in a group of people. Having friends. Going to school."

He sucked in air and blew it out in a deep sigh. "I know where this is going."

"Listen," I scolded. He zipped his lips. "I've never dated anyone before. I've never even kissed anyone before. This is all new to me, and scary, and I'm just not ready to add another layer of... stuff to it."

"Stuff," he said. "Nicely put, Eden."

"You know what I mean," I shoved his leg with my sneaker-clad foot.

"So what you're saying is, not never, but not now?"

"Yes," I smiled at him. He smiled back, and then grew thoughtful.

"Eden," he said after a minute. I nodded quickly, motioning for him to continue. Rocky and I always had the best discussions. We could just talk for hours about everything and nothing. We meshed.

"Could I kiss you, Eden?" he asked, startling me. Before I could say anything, he held up a hand. "I know what you said, and I respect that. But you told me you've never been kissed before. There's a lot of guys around here who just use and mistreat girls. There's going to be a lot of kisses in your life that don't mean anything, and that's okay, Eden, it doesn't always have to mean something. I just think maybe your first one should come from someone who really loves you."

"Okay, Rocky," I said, twisting my hands. "But I don't really know how."

"It's okay," he said, angling himself in front of you. "Even if it's terrible. Even if you sneeze in my mouth. It still counts."

I giggled, getting up on my knees too. A deep blush spread over my cheeks. Rocky brushed his hand over them, captivated by the coloring, leaning closer. I leaned in too, and then his lips were close, closer than they'd ever been. His oh-so human breath brushed over my own mouth. I molded into the kiss. His hands clasped my waist, and then it was over, Rocky glancing shyly away and me up at the school. Movement on the second floor caught my eye. Edward was sitting by the window, looking down at us. With my vampire-like eyesight I saw the look of concern, of worry and something else on his face.

I tried to brush it off, to focus on my moment, but I couldn't. Internally this was wrong. I was strong, immortal, and unfit to be here. I could get overexcited and break his arm. Hug him too tight after a bad day and break his ribs. He would grow old and I would be here. Forever the image of a young beautiful woman while he withered away. Not to mention the Volturi. I knew that we couldn't date, or get married, and I could never tell him what I was. It just wasn't fair. But for now, I was selfish. Young and foolish and selfish, wrapped up in myself and my very first kiss, ever. So while my brother looked on, knowing my mind, knowing I was being terrible to Rocky and to myself, I kissed him again. And again. And again. And I enjoyed every single facet of the moment I shared with my best friend in the world.

A/n: I realized just now that the "first kiss from someone who loves you" thing came from Perks of Being a Wallflower. I haven't read that book in so long, but the scene I just wrote was super familiar, so I figured it out. I'm keeping it in because it's really important, I think, to the story, but I wanted to comment on it just so you guys know I'm not the type to plagiarize anything intentionally. Anyways, hope you're enjoying the story! Love, Bree xo


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

"You are too young to be dating boys!" Edward ranted, driving us home with me in the front seat, Renesmee and Jacob howling with laughter in the back.

"I'm not _dating_ him, I'm just _kissing_ him!" I argued. They burst into fresh laughter and Edward glared. We pulled into the driveway and Edward continued lecturing me. Rosalie came out from the garage to see what was happening.

"I witnessed Eden here," Edward gestured dramatically. " _Kissing_ a _boy!_ "

"Scandalous," Rosalie said in monotone, looking at me. "Who, though?"

"Rocky," I grinned.

"It's dangerous," Edward growled, realizing our sister wasn't on his side.

"Says you," I snorted. He pursed his lips and then before I could blink, threw me over his shoulder.

"You're going to listen to me, Eden," he said, leaping into the air. Rosalie's screams followed us.

"She's not a toy, Edward!" she bellowed. Edward only laughed, climbing the side of the house with me tucked over his shoulder. The world spun dangerously as I hung upside down.

"You're too young to be kissing anyone!" Edward told me. "And he's a human!"

I smacked his back, the only part of him I could really reach. "Let me live my life!"

"I'm telling Mom!" Rosalie screamed from the ground. Edward clung to the side of the house, continuing his lecture.

"No boys until you're at least a hundred," Edward said. "You aren't mature enough to make any choices yet! You're only three, for God's sake, you're a baby, how can you know what you want yet?"

"I'm almost fully grown!" I cried. He snorted.

"Physically! Women can bear children as young as twelve, even younger in some cases! Do you suggest we all become parents before we're even in high school?" he countered.

"That's humans, that's not fair!" I said. "Not fair at all."

"Edward Anthony!" Esme screeched, her head poking from around the corner of the house. She was leaning over the balcony, balanced gracefully on her tiptoes. "You put your sister down right now! How old are you?!"

Edward ducked his head, shimmying over to the balcony. Esme didn't wait for him, she simply plucked me from his shoulder and placed me gently on the deck chair.

"Eden, are you hurt?" Esme knelt in front of me, giving a lethal look to Edward. He stood against the rail, hands in his pockets, looking sheepish.

"I'm not hurt," I said. "Honest."

Esme sent me inside, the sound of her chewing Edward out audible throughout the house. Bella pulled me into her bedroom as I passed.

"I heard you kissed a boy," Bella winked. "Who?"

"Rocky," I said, covering my face with my hands. "We're not dating. We're just friends. We were both _very mature about it!_ " I yelled the last part for Edward's benefit.

"Who's kissing boys?" Charlie asked, toweling his dark hair dry as he came into the room. I noticed the open suitcase on Bella's bed and realized he was flying out tonight. I was going to miss him.

"Eden's kissing boys," Bella said, going back to folding Charlie's shirts. Charlie looked at me, dumbfounded. "Like Hell she is."

"I am!" I said. "One boy, once. That's it."

"Oh," Charlie cocked his head. "Just once. Okay."

I tried not to roll my eyes and smile at the same time like a crazy person. As exasperating as they were, I loved my family so goddamn much.

Saying goodbye to Charlie was hard. Unexpectedly he wrapped me up in a fatherly bear hug.

"You have the number for the house in Forks," he confirmed. "And my e-mail. So you can call or e-mail whenever you damned well please, okay?"

"Okay," I nodded into his chest. I would miss this. The human-ness, the platonic fatherly affection. Bella must have known how lucky she was. She had to have known. And then Charlie was gone, and things went back to normal around the Cullen property.

November came and brought torrents of rain and weird dreams. I dreamed about spinning lights, breaking glass, the scraping of gravel on metal. Every morning I woke up with a foreboding feeling, the sound of grinding and crunching still echoing. Eventually the last remaining awkwardness dissolved between Rocky and myself - much to the relief of all our friends. We didn't talk about the kiss.

"We have to hang out on more weekends, we've been slacking and we have things to do," Rain said, flicking a jellybean at Rocky's head. "Important things."

"Yes, please," I said. "Hanging out with my family is fun and all… But it's getting…"

"...Kinda lame?" Rain finished, smirking. I nodded with a laugh. "Yeah, lame."

"Speaking of important things," Spencer said. "You're all coming to the hockey game?"

We all confirmed the plan. Go to the game, then afterwards pile into Rocky's car and either victory-binge or sad-binge on fast food. Depending on the outcome, of course. Either way we'd be in the stands screaming for Spencer.

Rain and Hayley came over with me after school. I was nervous about having friends over - I lived there, but it hadn't really felt like _my home_ until recently, and I just wasn't sure about my family scaring them off or not.

"You freakin' live here?" Rain gasped when we walked into the house. "Holy crap, Eden."

I laughed. "Yeah, I live here. Hang on. Esme, we're here!"

Esme rocketed down the stairs. She shook hands with both the girls.

"It's lovely to meet you," Esme said. "Are you girls hungry?"

"Thanks, Esme, but we're planning a big dinner after the game," I smiled. We went upstairs, into my bedroom.

Astoria High's colors were purple and gold, so we put on the purple shorts we purchased a few days before. We had matching white jerseys made with Spencer's last name, Baldwin, and his number, seven.

"Is the gold eyeshadow too tacky?" Rain asked. "I don't want to look like Grace and her friends."

I snorted. "Not if you do it right. You don't put a single eyeshadow all over the lid - here, Alice has been teaching me."

Alice appeared in the doorway like she'd been summoned. "Need any help?"

I almost said no but she seemed so visibly excited to help us get ready that I couldn't bring myself to consider turning her down. She came in and, while gossiping with Rain, meticulously put eyeshadow on our eyes.

In the end, we looked really good. Esme insisted we'd be too cold to wear shorts in mid-November, so I lent Hayley and Rain black thigh-high socks. I of course also wore a pair to avoid suspicion and match with my friends. As dorky and silly as it was, I loved matching with Hayley and Rain. It was so mundane and teenage that I really felt human.

Rocky picked us up before the game. Esme chased us out the door, calling warnings to drive safely, don't be out too late, don't do anything silly, things like that. We waved goodbye and blew kisses, headed to the ice rink. Hayley turned up the radio and we screamed along. We got to the rink early to snag front-row bench space. The other team, from the next town over, the Miltown Moles, were already set up. They had supporters in the stands, with Miltown only being ten minutes down the highway.

The game started. The four of us completely, unashamedly, lost it when Spencer skated onto the ice. I could already tell my throat would be sore from screaming. Mid-game, Rocky whipped his grey and red t-shirt off to reveal his "secret weapon". He'd meticulously painted "We Love Spencer" on his chest in gold glitter paint. It contrasted his dark skin, glowing under the fluorescent rink lights. Hayley grabbed a camera out of her bag and waved for us to pose together. Rain threw up peace signs, Rocky's mouth opened into a laughing grin. Hayley snapped the photo.

Rocky screamed until he got Spencer's attention. I caught Spencer's eyes squint, read the words, and then he was smiling over the mouth guard.

When Rocky turned, he'd also painted "Spence Leads the Stompers" on his back. Grace was a few rows to the side of us. She and her group of friends were all glaring. Rocky just kept on dancing. It was tight, but the Stompers won. I thought we were going to pass out from how much we yelled and whooped. The crowd moved to the lobby, taking photos, celebrating or grieving. You'd think this was the Stanley Cup playoffs instead of a high-school hockey game.

When the team began to emerge from the change room, I kept a hawk-eye out for Spencer. Hayley handed the camera to Rocky. The moment Spencer emerged, we stormed him. Rain jumped on his back, I tucked into his left side while Hayley tucked into his right. Rocky took the photo, capturing the surprise and joy on Spencer's face.

That was how I wanted to remember things.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

"Let's go celebrate!" Rocky said. He still hadn't put his shirt on.

"Wait, one thing," Hayley said. She dialed in the self-timer on her camera and placed it on one of the high lobby tables. We fell into position on front of the camera, all of us embracing until the flash went off.

"Now time for some fast food," Hayley said. We made Rocky at least put his coat on so the cold wouldn't completely kill him.

The five of us piled into the car, Hayley in the passenger side, the rest of us in the back. We placed an order at the Big Burger drive through and took off with our food, sailing through the streets, light glittering off the hood of the car. Rocky drove us around, unsure of where exactly to go. We wound up parking at the lookout point through the forest, on a hill above the harbor. I could see the hill I used to live on, and further than that I could see the more remote hill I lived on now, my house surrounded by trees, barely visible but there.

The five of us managed to sit on the hood of the car - Spencer and Hayley cross-legged on the roof, Rocky, Rain and I on the hood. Rocky's hand brushed mine by accident, and I saw some look I didn't understand cross his face. I opened my mouth to say something but Rocky's head snapped up, looking back at the water.

I kept my mouth shut. I didn't want to make it awkward and take away from Spencer's night. He was wearing one of the paper crowns you get at Big Burger to commemorate his victory. Spencer really looked like a king, even in a paper crown, residing on the throne that was a 90's Honda Civic, the lights from the harbor and all its ships reflecting off his face. He looked at ease in the world, knowing his place, his future, all that surrounded it.

I wanted to cradle his face and the delicate humanity in it. I wasn't even gone yet and I missed him. I missed him so much. I missed Rain and Rocky and Hayley. Pushing away the sudden sadness, I focused on the fact that we were here. Now. High-school students with all the world at their fingertips on a Friday night, surrounded by cold air and beautiful lights. Even if it wouldn't last very long.

"We should head out," Rocky said after an hour. "Drive around for a while."

We piled back into the car. Rocky directed the thing with such ease, gliding over the gravelly roads, even through the darkness. His confidence never wavered. A heavy rain started to fall. It battered the windshield suddenly, spooking us all.

"Damn, another storm," Spencer shook his head.

"Welcome to Astoria in November," Hayley sighed. Rocky slowed down, but we still tore through back roads, bumping along, laughing and bantering the way teenagers do.

It was so lovely and perfect and enchanting that I almost didn't hear the grinding of wet gravel under the wheels. I almost didn't catch Rocky cast his eyes down and say quietly, "shit".

It happened so fast that I almost caught none of it. We all felt it when the car suddenly lurched to the side, when suddenly we weren't five kids in a car having the time of our lives, we were five humans in a vehicle that was no longer four-wheels-down. It was, rather, upside-down, rapidly, turning, into the trees of the steep incline below us. The sounds were eerily familiar, I thought, as I was calmly processing it. Breaking glass and gravel dancing dangerously with metal. Trees snapping and crunching. It was all so familiar.

But then the screaming started. I looked around, calmly, my friends were bleeding. I realized in that moment, as I was pondering, in the TV shows they only ever show the accident and then cut to the paramedics and then cut to the hospital.

They don't show the long horrible minutes in between when nobody knows you've crashed and your friends are bleeding on Rocky's seats and oh, man, he's gonna be pissed about getting those stains out. And they never show how Spencer's arm is at such an inhuman angle, his eyes wide open not seeing anything and how Rain's delicate body nearly disappeared underneath Spencer's more bulky one. They never showed that. And Hayley in the front seat, her blood was so red. She seemed so mysterious before but there she was, her face slack like a child asleep and that blood exposing what was really inside her. It trickled down her face like tears. I waited for her to say something witty and funny or banter with Rocky about the blood.

Rocky was against the steering wheel, pressed up against it hard. Rocky, who had glass in his hair. In his head maybe? It was too hard to tell. Stray gold pieces of glitter sparkled happily on his face and hands, still gripping the wheel.

But then we cut to the paramedics because someone was nearby and called them. We cut to them dragging me out of the car and me screaming and trying to get away. They couldn't touch me because they were government and if they tried to give me medical attention they would see I wasn't human and I would expose the secret and Carlisle wouldn't want me anymore and they would give me to the Volturi to die.

"She's mighty strong," one of the paramedics grunted, holding my arms. "Miss, we're trying to help you. Please, cooperate."

"Must be adrenaline. She's in shock," the other said. They loaded me into the ambulance anyways. One of the ambulances. There were so many. Just for a little accident, right? Where were my friends?

I wrestled again, trying to see them walking around, looking for me, but they didn't. They didn't.

They took me to the hospital, those rude paramedics, even after I told them not to. A memory from today flashed in front of my eyes in the moments it took them to leave the vehicle and open the doors. Esme, wiping down the counter, smiling at me.

"Carlisle's working late today, honey," she said. "All night, maybe. It's a Friday. Always something on a Friday."

The paramedics lifted my stretcher out of the car. I sat upright, folding my arms. I was the something on the Friday.

"Take me to see Carlisle!" I demanded while they tried to push me down. "Nobody but Carlisle!"

They wheeled me into the ER. Nurses flurried, tried to attend to me.

"CARLISLE!" I bellowed, knowing he would hear. He appeared. Panic flashed across his features. He immediately ran forward, nearly shoving the intern away from me.

"This one's mine," he said. He wheeled me away.

"I'm not hurt," I told him.

"I believe you."

"A little disoriented but I'm clear now. The others are hurt bad. Leave me, I'm fine but you need to save them. Carlisle - I mean it. Whatever it takes."

He eyed me for a moment before nodding. The pen scratched across the paper and he closed the curtain so no one would bother me.

"Patient Eden Coleman is uninjured. We're leaving her there for the shock to wear off. Carla, let nobody in. She's a little nervous."

I tried to peek through and see my friends but I couldn't. Carlisle would fix them.

Of course he would.


End file.
